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The team that spent MegaMillions in July is finally being repaid, the one that watched some of its best walk is now trying to avoid being swept for the first time in its history.

Boil it all down, and the difference is that simple. Now, the Rangers head back to the Garden for Game 3 tomorrow with a 2-0 series hammerlock on the Devils.

Scott Gomez, the Rage of Anchorage whose $51 million summertime signing added to the Rangers almost as much as it subtracted from the Devils, already has four points in this series, and his former teammates have two goals in the series.

Still, Gomez cautioned that last night’s 2-1 Ranger victory in Game 2 in Newark isn’t going to finish off the Devils.

“One thing about those guys over there, they’ll let it go quick. As much as you’d like to say [we’ve] got them now . . .” Gomez said. “Against younger guys, maybe it does something. Not against the Devils.”

The Devils don’t quite know what to do. Patience, defense, goaltending, the Rangers are doing it the Devil Way, except that the Rangers can score. They’re even making Martin Brodeur look unlucky.

Jaromir Jagr’s surprise tie-breaking third period goal went off Brodeur’s back, just as he was yanked away from the post by teammate Colin White.

“Snakebit? A little bit,” Brodeur said. “We’re not playing badly. But we can’t score.

“We’re right there. We just have to hope they get excited in their building, and overdo it. We have to stay patient, play Devils hockey and get back in it.”

They’ve worked this history once before, losing the first pair to the Bruins at the Meadowlands, then winning four in a row in 1994. That team is one of only 37 of 280 to go down 0-2 to survive that deficit.

Last night was the 33rd time in 84 games the Devils failed to score more than one goal in regulation.

John Madden, who scored the Devils’ lone goal with 1:23 left and Brodeur on the bench, was asked if New Jersey had enough leadership to pull off another ’94 Bruins comeback.

It was a similar script to Game 1, except the sides were scoreless through 40 minutes. Once more, it was Brodeur who broke.

Jagr broke the deadlock at 4:26, skating from the right corner, behind the net and coming out to the left circle against Madden. Jagr stopped and fired as White hit Brodeur’s stick, pulling him off his post, the puck going in off Brodeur’s back, hitting him just below the nameplate and above his No. 30.

Just 23 seconds later, Sean Avery gave the Rangers insurance, grabbing Dan Girardi’s blocked shot in the slot and snapping his second career playoff goal over Brodeur’s glove.